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Pojo's Pokémon Card of the Day

Baby Mario 2010 UK National Seniors Champion	Krokorok (Dark Explorers) Hello and welcome to another week of Dark Explorers reviews here on Pojo. We’ve still got quite a few cards from the set to get through, so let’s hope we can unearth some gems. We kick off the week with Krokorok. An evolving Stage 1 with 90 HP (not great, but average, I suppose), Fighting Weakness (not nice) Psychic Resistance (marginally useful, I guess), and a Retreat cost of three (hey, at least you can search out Krokorok with Heany Ball and Level Ball!). The best thing you can say about Krokorok is that it is a Dark Type, so it can accelerate Energy with Dark Patch, and boost its damage output with Dark Claw. It’s also very easy to run with Darkrai-EX which will give it free Retreat via Dark Cloak. Both of Krokorok’s attacks are vanilla and effect-free. What’s worse is that the damage/cost ratio is pretty poor. Mud-Slap offers just 30 damage for a Double Colourless Energy, while Corkscrew Punch delivers 70 for the extortionate Price of [D][D][C][C]. These are not attacks you will ever want to use unless you are in a situation where your deck is failing to set up and you have nothing better. If you are playing either of the Fighting Type Krookodiles, you will want to stick with Krokorok BLW: not only is it the same Type, but it also has better attacks. If you are using the Dark Krookodile from DEX, though, you will probably prefer this one, simply because its Energy needs are compatible. Even so, Krokorok DEX most definitely falls into the category of Stage 1s whose only function is to help get the Stage 2 out. It really doesn’t offer anything else. Rating Modified: 1.5 (just a very dull means to an end) Limited: 1.75 (not much to offer here either – the attacks are still badly costed)
Jebulous Maryland Player	Krokorok   Krokorok is a Stage 1 Dark Pokemon with 90 HP, weakness to Fighting, Resistance to Psychic, and 3 retreat cost.  Stat-wise he is good because it is searchable by Level Ball and Heavy Ball.  Psychic resistance is good against Mewtwo EX, but it's nothing 1 more energy can't get around.   'Mud Slap' does 30 damage for and 2 energy.  A DCE makes this attack usable in 1 turn.  Other than that, it's just plain.  30 damage isn't much compared to all the other attacks.  In fact, Mewtwo EX does 40 minimum with a DCE... run Mewtwo EX before this (just my opinion).   'Corkscrew Punch' does 70 damage for 2 Dark and any 2 other energy. Another plain attack.  This is definately not worth 4 energy...   I don't like this card.  It does 'solid' damage, but there are no other effects.  So many other Pokemon have better attacks that this falls way below them.  I guess if you run the evolution line in your deck, getting this can be done easily, so you can max out Level and Heavy Balls to find all your pieces.  Glancing at its evolution, the evolution is better than this (thankfully).  But even then, there is not much redeemable about this Pokemon and its evolution line.  I doubt this will be played competitively, unless the Stage 2 is wonderful (I don't think it is though).     Modified: 1/5 Limited: 2/5 Combo's With: ...   Questions, comments, concerns: jebulousthemighty@yahoo.com
Mad Mattezhion  Professor Bathurst League Australia	Krokorok (Dark Explorers) Greetings and salutations to all of you readers out there! It's a glorious Monday and after going so long without writing, it feels awesome to be back! Krokorok is one of the more entertaining Gen V Poke'mon, being a natural partner for the various grunts of Team Plasma and generally acting like a hipster (crossed arms, shades and a constant look of smug self-satisfaction) which makes N look like even more of a... Help me out here, what's an appropriate G-rated word to describe that mouthy, green-haired twit? Moving on, Krokorok does serve a practical purpose in both the VG and TCG version of Poke'mon, being that lovely mixture of Dark/Ground which gives two excellent immunities and hits a lot of important Weaknesses in the video game while also making a third appearance in the TCG with yet another above-average card for the Krookodile fans out there! Since Krookorok is an evolving Stage 1, it needs one of two things to make it playable: an effective Evolution that it can support in some way, or an awesome Ability. Dark Dragonair and Eelektrik NV are the only evolving Stage 1's that I can think of which fit in the latter category, so Krokorok is betting on the former. There is a half decent Krookodile from B&W that could see a resurgence when Evolutions get a little wriggle room after we lose Poke'mon Collector post-rotation, but after gazing into my crystal ball I predict that a Krookodile deck won't get past the kitchen-table/fun-League-deck level of play. Still, there is always the chance of a future release that could call for a useful Krokorok and Limited is usually dominated by Stage 1 Poke'mon, so it's on to the stats. Krokorok DEX is a Dark type which has 90 HP, Fighting Weakness, Psychic Resistance and a retreat cost of 3. That cursory glance tells me that Krokorok is a legal Heavy Ball and Level Ball target that will probably survive an early-game hit from an oppenent opening with a Mewtwo EX, but all of the other 130-HP-and-up Basics will swiftly turn it into a pair of shoes and matching handbag. With that fat reatreat cost it is also an attractive target for an opponent holding a Poke'mon Catcher and looking to stall for a turn, although Darkrai EX can reduce that particular liability to nil. So far, the only edge this card has is being a Dark type with the chance to tap the current type-specific support that affords. The attacks don't build on that edge sadly, being a pair of vanilla fillers that don't do anything to improve Krokorok's odds of surviving to evolve. Mud Slap costs [c][c] and deals 30 damage, which barely tickles anything in today's environment even with a boost from Dark Claw. Still, it's DCE compatible and splashable in Limited so it could be worse. Corkscrew Punch costs [d][d][c][c] for 70 damage, which scores points for Limited since it can 2HKO most of the other cards in the set, but it costs far too much to be practical in Modified. Connecting 4 energy to a 90 HP Poke'mon in a format containing Poke'mon Catcher is effectively getting on your knees and begging your opponent to sucker punch you! But how does the marginal Dark-type edge compare to the other available Krokorok? Not favourably. The most proven of the three Krookodile cards is the Fighting type from B&W, which is a problem right there, although the attacks of that Krookodile are DCE compatible at least. The clincher though is that the Fighting type Krokorok BW has a cheaper, Colourless-costed version of the vaunted Torment attack the Krookodile BW uses to lock out the opponent, which fits better into the archetype and also helps keep it alive long enough to evolve. The same story applies to the Emerging Powers Krookodile line, with both Krokorok EP and Krookodile EP having a focus on energy removal that makes this Krokorok redundant, at least as far as the Fighting type half of the family is concerned. At the end, this Krokorok loses out to it's BW cousin just on the strength of the cheap 1 energy Torment attack. Maybe if Krookodile DEX turns out to be a diamond in the rough then being a Dark type will help this card see some play, but I see a dark future in the extras tin for this card. Modified: 2 (Krookodile Lock is nowhere near being a top contender and this Krokorok is the wrong fit anyway so stick to the Torment/Lightning resistant BW version) Limited: 3.5 (Dark types rule this set and while the energy cost is steep, having an evolving Stage 1 that can hold down the fort with 2HKO's while waiting to draw Krookodile is worth having. I'd even consider running this card without Krookodile if I had enough Dark cards and/or multiple Krokorok for consistency) Combos with: Krookodile DEX, provided tomorrow's review is in its favour...
Otaku	Are you ready to Krokorok?! … *crickets chirping* Stats Krokorok is a Stage 1 Pokémon, preceded by Sandile and succeeded by Krookodile. As I sadly came to finally realize, a generic “Evolution acceleration” card like Rare Candy is going to supercede using transitional forms like Krookodile (is that why they are so rare in the fossil record?). If Stage 2 cards are worth playing, even if a Stage 1 form compliments said Stage 2, it is usually more effective to skip. You risk Stage 1 forms like Eelektrik (BW: Noble Victories 40/101) that end up being better than their final form in trying to make a Stage 1 compete against Rare Candy. In short, this means Krokorok is already almost guaranteed to be passed over. This Krokorok is a Darkness-Type, and the only version of Krokorok not to be a Fighting-Type. The trade off is hitting a common weakness for access to Darkness-Type support, some of which you could tap by using Sandile (BW: Dark Explorers 64/108) instead of one of the Fighting-Type versions. Its 90 HP is an easy OHKO for the biggest attackers and a probable OHKO from average attackers, though sadly card design has often given such Stage 1 Pokémon even less HP, so we may have to take what we can get… or just use Rare Candy. Fighting Weakness is a real risk right now, though with just 90 HP this is mostly saving a PlusPower or allowing a supporting attack to suffice. Krokorok does sport a nice Psychic Resistance, which for practical intents and purposes right now, (and likely for the immediate future) is all about Mewtwo EX (BW: Destinies 54/99, 98/99) needing one more Energy for X-Ball to score a OHKO; it takes six total Energy between the two. This brings us to the final Stat, the Retreat Cost; three is junky and painful to pay, so pack a few things to aid in Retreating. Darkrai EX (BW: Dark Explorers 63/108, 107/108) is the obvious solution, though a Trainer or two might be good insurance. Being so easy to deal with makes this bad stat good: Krokorok becomes a legal target for Heavy Ball. Effects Krokorok has two attacks; Mudslap for (CC) and Corkscrew Punch for (DDCC). The former does 30 points of damage; a bit weak for a Stage 2 but functional if you just need a quick hit. Hitting for 40 would have been better; besides the obvious that would be enough to OHKO a Tynamo other than BW: Noble Victories 39/101 without help. Corkscrew Punch is almost pure fail. The only upside is that it doesn’t require pure Darkness Energy, since at four Energy it would be massively overpriced. That is a bit of an understatement since even on a non-fully Evolved Pokémon, for four Energy you need to be hitting for 90 points of damage, and this only delivers 70! 90 wouldn’t even be good, just “acceptable” for what has now been revealed as a “filler” Stage 1 Pokémon. I can’t even credit both attacks for being able to use most off-type Energy acceleration: Corkscrew Punch would really only be worth it if the attack required less Energy! Usage If you’re using Krokorok, it means you want to use Krookodile. We are covering the new version (BW: Dark Explorers 66/108) tomorrow; it isn’t enhanced by using this Krokorok, so don’t count on it. What about the other two versions? Both were previously reviewed. Black & White 65/114 is at best as good as I originally perceived it to be; the “whys” have changed as the main thing is it Fighting Weakness is common on some very popular Pokémon and Lightning Resistance is handy as well. Its HP is less impressive now and since its best trick, using Torment (which only requires (CC)) to strike for 30 damage but also block your choice of the Defending Pokémon’s attack, is less effective in a format where so many Pokémon have a zeroed out Retreat Cost thanks to Darkrai EX. Spoiler alert: the upcoming Garbodor can shut off Abilities, and that is probably the only real hope for Krookodile. End Spoiler. The other Krookodile (BW: Emerging Powers 62/98) is pretty much a waste as far as I can tell; it has an Ability that would be like an improved Crushing Hammer (as it can hit both basic and Special Energy) except it only works while Active and against the opponent’s Active Pokémon. Still, I could see someone at least making a fun deck around the original Krookodile, so what do the other Krokorok offer? Black &White 64/114 has Lightning Resistance and a weaker, single Energy requiring version of Torment (and a decent brute force attack). BW: Emerging Powers 61/98 has a filler small attack, though solid big attack that has a chance at discarding Energy from the Defending Pokémon. Both have 90 HP, Water Weakness and only two Energy Retreat Costs (meaning no targeting with Heavy Ball). Unless I really need to tap Darkness-Type support or am relying on Heavy Ball, I would go with Black &White 63/114; a well timed Torment is both fun and effective. There are four choices for Sandile: Black &White 63/114, BW: Emerging Powers 60/98, McDonald’s 2011 8/12, and BW: Dark Explorers 64/108. All versions have 70 HP and two Energy Retreat Costs. Every version other than BW: Dark Explorers 64/108 is a Fighting Type with Water Weakness. BW: Dark Explorers 64/108 enjoys Psychic Resistance and Black & White 63/114 enjoys Lightning Resistance. Those two also have the best attacks, but in the end BW: Dark Explorers 64/108 allows you to tap cards like Dark Patch for much needed Energy acceleration; well, perhaps less “much needed” and more “it couldn’t hurt”… and that means all today’s card really offers is being a legal target for Heavy Ball. So HS-On isn’t a good place for it. BW-On seems a little friendlier to Stage 2 Pokémon but again, only if you’re really relying on Heavy Ball (possibly to the exclusion of Ultra Ball). Unlimited isn’t a good place for Krookodile, but if you insisted on playing Krookodile then it is the same story. In Limited this Krokorok finally becomes alright. You have the normal caveats like “lower average HP” and “lower average damage output”, plus now the “splashable” nature of the card allows you to use it (though not optimally) completely off Type. This is also the set that has Dark Patch, Dark Claw, and Darkrai EX. Ratings Unlimited: 1/5 Modified: 1.5/5 Limited: 3.5/5 Summary Sandile, Krokorok, and Krookodile all still make me crave Cookie Crisp cereal. As for the card, it’s pretty much filler that might have use in a deck (that probably isn’t for the tournament scene) only due to being a legal target for Heavy Ball. At least while being filler, it is functional filler; attacks are weak but could realistically be powered up in a timely manner.